Rail-joint.



F. E. DILLON.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE23,191L

1,064,058, Patented June 10, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CU.,\VA$HIN(17ON. [L C,

tlhiifiFlD STATES PAiTENT @FFMJE.

FRIEND E. DILLON, OF WI-IEELING, VEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FIFTH TO CHARLES H. COPP, ONE-FIFTH TO HAL SPEIIDEL, ONE-FIFTH TO G. O. NAGLE, AND ONE-EIGHTH TO WILLIAM M. CLEMANS, ALL OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Illatented June 110, .1 913.

To all whom '1' Z may concern Be it known that I, FmnNn Fl. Damon, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of \Vheeling, county of Ohio, and State of est Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Joints, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to improvements in rail-joints, and more particularly to a railchair and clamp.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device for holding the adjacent. ends of railway rails in fixed position without the employment of the usual bolts and nuts.

A further object is to provide a simple, strong and durable device of the eha acter mentioned by means of which the rails are rigidly held in alinement and which may be adjusted from time to time, as occasion requires, to compensate for wear.

iVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the features of construction, arrangement of elements and combinations of parts which will hereinafter be exemplified, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of the invention applied to railway rails at a joint, a portion at one end being broken away to more clearly illustrate details of construe tion; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an end view of the same; and Fig. i is a cross section on the line 4l--.l-, Fig. 1.

Referring to said drawings, in which like designating characters distinguish like parts throughout the several views- 1 1 ind' :ate two railway rails to the adjacent ends of which the parts constituting the present invention are applied. Fitted against the web portions of the rails on opposite sides is a pair of splice-bars 2 the body-portions of which correspond to the fish-plates now commonly used in 'ailway track-laying. Formed integral with each splice-bar on the outer face thereof is a heavy rib 3 whose outer face is inclined inward toward the opposite ends of the bar from a point sub stantially midway between said ends, as is clearly shown in Fig. 1. Received against the inclined faces of the ribs of the opposing splice-bars are the edges of the arcuately curved, or bowshapcd portions 4; of a chairlike clamp 5, of substantially C-shape in end elevation, one such clamp being located on each side of the meeting point of the rails 1. The body portion of each clamp rests, preferably, upon, a crosstie 6 and has the base of the rail seated thereon. The clamp is preferably formed of a plate of rolled steel having a suitable even thickness throughout and the bow-shaped portions, which are curved into regular, areuate form, are consequently slightly resilient; and thus, while the splicc-bars are etl'ectually supported in position thereby, a slight cushioning flexibility is given which enables the parts to better withstaml the shocks and vibration of road travel thercovcr.

The edges of the opposing bow-shaped portions of the clamp are inclined to correspond substantially with the outer faces of the ribs to be engaged thereby. In applying the clamps, the inner end of each is slipped up longitudinally until the edges of said bmv-shaped portions adjacent the inner ends of the clamps assume bearing cngagementwith the outer faces of the ribs; then, said clamps are caused to approach each other, as by driving with a sledge, or by tightening a nut 7 on the end of. a bolt 8 dir eettnl longitiulinally through the opening between the clamp portion 41- and the lower part of the splice-bar and connecting the opposing clamps. In the preferred embodiment, the bolt 8 is supported in apcrturcd lugs or plates f) titted against the outer ends of the opposing clamps; or, if the clamps are formed otherwise than by rolling, said lugs may be formed integral with the clamps, as shown at 5 in Fig. 1. Thus, as said clamps approach each other, moving along the inclined fftlt'ftS of the ribs, the pressure exerted upon said splice bars is increased, and, consetpiently the binding pressure of said splice-bars on the rails is increascd. When adjusted to proper position, the clamps may be held fixed by means of the bolt 8, if such is employed for drawing on the clamps; or the adjusted position may be, and is, preferably, maintained by means of spikes 10 driven into the crosstics 6 through a 'ierturcs 11 'n'ovided in lateral lugs 12- struck up from the clamp and lying horizontally in the same plane as the body portion of the latter. \Vhen such struck up lugs are employed, the bolt 8 may, or, may not, be used, as desired. The striking upv of the lugs leaves openings 13 which readily admit access of a spike to the apertures 11, as is clearly shown in Fig. 4. For guiding the edges of the bow-shaped portions of the clamps and preventing them from moving off the inclined faces of the ribs, a longitudinal guidechannel 14 may be formed in said faces.

From the foregoing it Will be seen that I provide a rail clamp which wholly dispenses with theuse of-the-usual bolts and nuts and which is simplein construction and efficient for thepurpose.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim asneW, and desiret'o secure by Letters'Pa-tent, is-

Thecombination with adjacent rail ends, ofa' pair of-sp-li'ce-bars, anintegral longitudinalribformed on the outer face of each bar,the outer face'of said rib-being inclined inward. toward opposite ends from a substantially median point, a pair of adjustable clamps mounted in opposing relation,

one at each side of the meeting point of the rail ends, each clamp being formed of a resilient metal plate of even thickness throughout and comprising a chair portion and in- ;tegral opposing arcuately curved joint- FRIEND E. DILLON.

lVitnesses H. E. DUNLAP, WV. R. WARREN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatents, Washington, D. C. 

